In this product guide:
- 1. Cushioned trainer with gait control: Asics Kayano 31
- 2. Cushioned trainer with gait control: New Balance Vongo V6
- 3. Daily trainer with gait control: New Balance 860V14
- 4. Everyday trainer with a stable ride: Saucony Guide 17
- 5. Supportive everyday trainer: Asics GT-2000 12
- 6. Supportive marathon racer: adidas adios Pro 3
- 7. Affordable stability trainer: Asics GT-1000 13
- How did we select
What is the one thing that every overpronator-friendly running shoe needs to have?
It’s a midsole that is more supportive on the inner (arch) side than the outer side. During overpronation, the foot tends to roll inwards. If a midsole is too mushy, it will lose structure and collapse when loaded.
The Kayano 31 combines three design features to minimize overpronation. The midsole has a more supportive inner wall and an easier-to-compress outer side. The channel under the heel is sloped towards the outer side, and that also directs the loading in that direction.
For this year’s model, Asics uses a brand-new Flytefoam Blast midsole that’s cushioned yet supportive. A soft footbed and lasting add a layer of step-in comfort.
The snug-fitting upper has an excellent fit and interior plushness. This shoe also sells in an optional wide and extra-wide.
- Asics’s marketing pitch: Stability never felt like this.
- Upper: Engineered spacer mesh, inner gusset.
- Midsole: Flytefoam Blast+ foam, heel Gel unit. 10 mm heel drop.
- Outsole: Hybrid Asicsgrip rubber.
- Weight: 305 gms/ 10.7 Oz for a half pair of Men’s US 9/UK 8/EUR 42.5/CM 27.
- Stack heights: 40 mm (heel), 30 mm (forefoot).
- Available widths: D – regular (reviewed), 2E (wide), 4E (extra-wide).
- Previous model: Asics Kayano 30.
- Country of origin: Vietnam.
- Recommended use: Everyday training, tempo runs, marathons.
- Footstrike orientation: Heel, midfoot/forefoot (full contact).
- Median lifespan: 450 miles.
- Recommended paces: Slower than 4:00 min/km (6:30 min/mile).
- Recommended temperature range: Warmer than -5° C/23° F.
Pros
- Effective motion control
- Long-distance comfort
- Efficient transitons, versatile
- Outsole grip
- Plush and secure fit
- Optional widths
Cons
- Heavy
Also consider:
- Brooks Glycerin 21 GTS
- New Balance Vongo V6
- Mizuno Wave Horizon 7
- Hoka Gaviota 5
- Use the Asics Kayano 31 for daily training (including uptempo) and long runs
- Use the adidas Takumi 10 for interval training
- Use the adidas adios Pro 3 for marathons
What sets the Vongo apart from other stability shoes is a plate that is sandwiched between the two midsole layers.
When viewed from the top (and longitudinally), this plate is solid on the inner half and perforated on the other half. This means that the outer plate is easier to flex when loaded, whereas the inner midsole ends up more resistant. Simply put, the outer midsole is softer than the inner half.
The foam on top of the plate is softer, whereas the base is firmer. The softer foam allows the plate to work as intended; the firmer layer underneath makes the ride supportive.
This is an interesting – and novel – replacement for a medial post. Whether runners will truly benefit from this is debatable, but the Vongo V6 gets the sensory aspect down pat. It’s worth noting that the plate on the Vongo is longer (on the outer midsole) than the 860V14.
The snug upper does its part in securing the foot, and there are optional widths as well – wide and extra-wide.
The 860V14 has been updated for this year with a Vongo-like midsole. Like the Vongo, the midsole features a plate that New Balance calls the ‘stability plane’. This plate is solid on the inner (arch) side, whereas the outer half has cut-outs for flexibility.
This geometry makes the inner plate stiffer than the outer side. So in a way, it works like a medial post. The more flexible outer plate makes the midsole easier to compress. This gives the 860V14’s cushioning a slight touch of motion control.
Just like the Vongo, the midsole above the plate is softer to allow the ‘stability plane’ to work effectively. The Fresh Foam midsole has ample cushioning for everyday miles, and the added stiffness from the plate adds versatility.
The soft and true-to-size upper is available in three optional widths.
Like the Ride 17, the Guide 17 has been redesigned from scratch. But unlike the Ride, the midsole foam hasn’t switched to Pwrrun+. It’s still EVA foam, just like the Guide 16. Only the footbed is made of Pwrrun+ (expanded PU) foam.
So how do the new changes make the Guide 17 a stability shoe?
The Guide 17 is a stability shoe, yes, but not a gait-corrective kind. For example, it lacks the lateral/outer cushioning bias that the Asics Kayano 31 and GT-2000 12 have.
This time, the Saucony Guide 17 follows a simple formula to add ride stability. First, they made the midsole wider. The 17’s midsole is the widest it’s even been and creates a supportive foundation for the foot.
Two, the sidewalls have been raised. The new midsole has higher midsole edges that create a ‘cupping’ action around the foot. Lastly, a plush upper secures the foot over this foam ‘cup’. By the way, the G-17 is also available in a wide and extra-wide option.
The Guide 17 doesn’t try to control the gait. What it has in spades is midsole stability that prevents the foot from rolling inwards – or outwards. That makes the Guide 17 suitable not only for overpronators, but for supinators as well.
The outsole uses less rubber than the Guide 16, and that allows the shoe to maintain a 9.4 ounces (269 grams) weight, which is decent for a shoe this wide.
The Asics GT-2000 is often thought of as the ‘light’ version of the more expensive Kayano.
When compared to the Kayano 31, the GT-2000 12 is more than an ounce lighter, has a 2 mm lower heel drop, and is cheaper by $25. It’s also 4 mm shorter under the heel.
In short, the GT-2000 12 is a lighter and more versatile version of the pricier Kayano. The lower weight also makes the shoe feel faster, and yet the cushioning is comfortable enough for runs of varying mileage.
Unlike the Kayano, the upper keeps the trims and frills to a minimum. The engineered mesh shell fits comfortably and true to size, whereas the high-density printing details on the midfoot and heel add structural support and aesthetic appeal.
And considering how both the shoes are joined at the hip, the GT-2000 12 also adopts the ‘supportive neutral’ midsole design that leaves behind the medial post.
Most ‘supershoes’ use a soft PEBA foam or equivalent, so the midsole stability is often lacking. For example, shoes like the Nike Vaporfly 3 and Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 are terrible for overpronators.
The adidas adios Pro 3 is cut from a different cloth, or should we say, foam. The Lightstrike Pro foam is a denser material that does a better job of supporting the foot than Nike ZoomX and Saucony Pwrrun PB.
It’s worth mentioning that the adios Pro 3 isn’t a stability shoe per se. Rather, it’s a supportive shoe for most gait patterns.
There’s more to the adios Pro 3 than its supportive midsole. The ‘Energy Rods’ inside the bouncy Lightstrike Pro midsole give the Adios Pro its speed manners. The grip is excellent too, thanks to the Continental outsole rubber.
The GT-1000 13 has a mild motion-control character. There is a slight cushioning bias that favors the outer midsole, and that’s why this model features on this guide. The midsole geometry gets you a firmer inner midsole and softer outer sidewall.
Just like the GT-2000 12, the channel under the heel is sloped to make the inner midsole firmer.
If you’re unfamiliar with Asics’s stability shoe lineup, know that the GT-1000 is part of the Kayano/GT-2000/GT-1000 lineup. The Kayano 31 is the premium stability trainer (and the most expensive), followed by the GT-2000 12 and lastly the 1000.
How we selected
Let us guess. You’re here because you probably had a ‘gait analysis’ done at a shoe store and were advised to wear running shoes that ‘correct’ your pronation.
Or you read something about overpronation on the internet, so you landed on this page to do further research before finally deciding which shoe to buy.
But let’s make it clear upfront – the so-called stability running shoes will not ‘cure’ or even correct your overpronation. Everyone pronates; this inward-rolling movement is a naturally occurring component of the gait cycle. The only difference is that a certain population of runners roll in a lot more than others.
A medial post.
To counter the exaggerated movement, the ‘medial post’ was invented a few decades ago. This is a firmer wedge of foam on the inner midsole. The underlying theory was that the harder inner midsole prevents the foot from rolling excessively inwards.
It sounded great on paper and made sense in the 70s and 80s. Back then, running shoes had blown EVA foam midsoles that compacted quickly and lost their structure within a few months. We discussed this topic in detail in one of our 2015 shoe reviews.
In short, modern-day stability running shoes with a medial post are redundant. Perhaps vintage stability shoes were partially effective, but then those were ugly-looking beasts with oversized medial posts. Now that’s a medial post.
The ‘Guiderails’ of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS.
Midsole foams have come of age, so even neutral shoes are supportive enough.
To nobody’s surprise, recent traditional stability shoe updates have evolved into supportive neutrals. The New Balance Vongo V6 and Kayano 31 are good examples of running shoes that have adopted a ‘supportive neutral’ midsole design.
So if traditional overpronation-control shoes are a relic of the past, then why does this buyer’s guide exist?
Not all shoes are suitable for overpronators. Notice how the Vaporfly 3’s midsole collapses during overpronation.
Many modern midsoles are made of soft super-foams. Some of these shoes perform poorly during an overpronated gait. To prevent this from happening, overpronation-friendly running shoes need to be supportive on the inner side – which the shoes on this guide are.